Apparatus for moistening and cutting gummed tape, labels, etc.



R. l. MEADER Dec. 1, 1931.

APPARATUS FOR MOISTENING AND CUTTING GUMMED TAPE, LABELS, ETC

Filed June 21 1928 Patented Dec. 1, 1931 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPHI. MEADER, or LYIN'BROOK, NEw'YonK APPARATUS FOR MOISTENING AND 'ITING- GUMMED TAPE, LABELS, ETC.

- Application filed June 21,

' slots adjacent the moistening wick. In all such devices, therefore, the moistener is either attached to the supply roll holder or forms an attachment carried by the tape or strip. g

One of the objects of my inventionis to provide a moistening tool which is entirely separate from the supply roll and the gummed strip and which may be manipulated by the hand to grasp the tape and to sever it when .20 the desired length has beenpulled therethrough. The tool may be manipulated by the fingers of one hand, leaving theother hand free to affix the moistened strip to. the sheet, envelope or'other surface to which it is 2 to be secured.

In the following detailed description I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in p which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tool embodying the features of my invention;

Figure ,2 is a fragmentary view showing the moistener and cutter and a portion of the barrel or reservoir broken away'to. expose the wick; v 1 Figure 3 is a sectional view-taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the 1noistener,partly broken away; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevationof the cutter portion.

The hollow barrel or body. portion 6 of the tool, forming the water reservoir is closed at one end and at the other end is provided with a threaded cap 7 which carries the wick tube 8 and support for the cutter. The outer end 1928. Serial No. 287,288.

of the'tube is closed and is provided with a lateral opening 9 through which wick 10 projects. Upstanding flanges 12 and 13 upon either side of the wick opening serve as lateral n guides for the gummed strip, and a laterally extending flange 14 forms a cutting ledge or a that it will always adjust itself squarely upon 1 the strip. The loop guide 15 and presser shoe 16 are secured tothe outer end of a lever 17 which is pivoted to a standard 18 and is provided at its inner end with a thumb piece 20. I A retractile spring 21 secured at one end ,to a bracket 23 and at the other end to an arm 24 projecting from the lever, yieldingly holds the guide loop and presser shoe in normal position with the pressershoe against the ledge 14.

The cutting knife or blade 26 is secured to the outer end of a lever 27 pivoted at an intermediate point to the bracket 23 and pivotally secured at its inner end to one end of a lever 28, which is centrally pivoted to a boss 29 projecting from the cover 7, and at its inner end 7 5 is provided with a thumb piece 30. A spring 32 normally tilts the lever 28 forwardly and holds the blade 26 in raised position. The blade is in alinement with aslot 31 in the ledge 5 14 and coacts with one edge thereof to form a cutter when it is depressed by means of the I thumb piece 30.

The supply roll indicated at 25, which may consist of a strip of gummed labels, postage s5 stamps, or other gummed strip, is mounted on a suitable support not shown. The supply may also be the gummed printed tape which is fed out of the telegraph printer or other device which prints on a continuous strip of tape with the tape moving from right to left out of this printer.

When it is desired to afiix some of the strip of tape to a sheet or other object the operator grasps the tool in one hand and after raising the loop guide 15 and presser shoe 16 by depressing the thumb piece 20 with his thumb, slips the forward end of the tool across the strip, which is immediately held in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 8, as he removes his thumb from the piece 20. The end of the strip projecting from the leftof the wire loop guide 15 may be grasped in the fingers and a short strip pulled through the moistener. The tip end of this strip will not be wet and this may be moistened by drawing it"over a separate piece of feltsuitably held in a receptacle containing water. This moistened end may then be pressed down firmly in con tact with the sheet or package by means of the fingers or suitable pressing device carried in the left hand and the tool moved to the right along the strip until the end of a line or label has been moistened, and passed to the left of the wire loop guide 15. The

complete line or label or stamp may then be quickly pressed into contact with the sheet or package and the strip torn off against a suitable cutting edge which may form a part of the pressing'device and mounted on a thimble or other device placed on the left foiefinger. This leaves the moistened end. of the next line, label, or stamp projecting to the left of the wire loop guide 15 and this end can'be pressed down on another sheet or package and the process outlined above repeated.

When the work is to be stopped but the roll of labels, or stamps, or printed tape is not exhausted, the tool is moved'along to a point where the end of the last label, stamp or strip to be applied is coincident with the cutting edge of theblade 26 and the strip is severed at'this point by depressing member 30 with the thumb. The end of this strip which projects to the left of the tool is still held firmly between the presser shoe and the ledge 14 and as it is already moistened the tape may be applied to the sheet or package and the tool moved to the right in the usual manner to moisten the remaining section before pressing the entire label, stamp, or strip down onto the sheet or package.

In applying gummed printed telegraph tape to a message blank the practice and dev ces now in use require that the gumming operator maintain a continuous loop of tape, which is approximately two feet long, between the printing point and the point of application of the moistened tape to the blank.

'Thisintroduces an arbitrary delay of about 30 seconds between the time whenthe message 1s completely printed and the time when this message 1s gummed down onto the message blank.

No means have yet been provided for holding a moistened short strip of tape except as is done with the tool herein described and as it is possible with this tool to eliminate the long loop of printed tape and complete gumming down a message six seconds after it has been completely printed this tool is particularly useful in combination with tape printing telegraph systems.

In order to facilitate the ready movement of the tool when it is being operated, the wick tube with the attached operating parts is placed at a slight angle, say about 10 laterally to the right and about the same angle upwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body or receptacle.

' The particular construction illustrated has been described in detail for the purpose of invention but it will be evident that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of my invention.

1 claim: i

1. A gummed strip moistener, comprising a hollow body portion forming a water reservoir and handle, a wick holder communicating with the reservoir and having an opening to expose a portion of a W'lCk, a guide devlce and a presser shoe adapted to engage the strip respectively upon opposite sides of said opening, a spring actuated lever to which said guide and presser shoe are secured, and a thumb piece operable to swing said lever and permit the strip to be inserted between the guiding means and the wick holder.

2. A gummed strip moistener, comprising a hollow body portion forming a water reser voir and handle, a wick holder communicating with the reservoir and having an opening to expose a portion of a wick, a guide device and a'presser shoe adapted to engage the strip respectively upon opposite sides of said openlng, a lever to which said device and sald shoe are secured, and a thumb piece operable to tilt said lever and thereby permit the strip to be inserted between the wick holder and said guide device and presser shoe.

3. A gummed strip moistener, comprising a hollow body portion forming a water reservoir and handle, a tubular wick holder extending from one end and provided with a wick extending into the reservoir and having an opening to expose a portion of the wick, a spring actuated lever pivotally secured to said wick holder, a strip guiding device positioned over said opening and secured to said lever, and a manually operable cutter blade reciprocable across the path of a strip when clamped between said guiding device and the wick holder.

4:. A gummed strip moistener, comprising a hollow body portion forming a water reservoir and handle, a tubular wick holder extending from one end and provided with a wick extending into the reservoir and having an opening to expose a portion of the wick, a

spring actuated lever pivotally secured to said wick holder, a strip guiding device positioned over said opening and secured to said lever, a cutter blade pivotally secured to said wick holder and reciprocable across the path of a strip when clamped between said guiding device and the wick holder, and thumb pieces operably connected to said lever and to said cutter blade and positioned within range of the thumb of the operator while holding the body portion.

5. A gummed strip moistener, comprising a hollow body portion forming a rservoir and handle, said body being closed at one end and provided with a removable closure cap at the other end, a tubular wick holder secured to said cap at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the body and provided with an opening to expose a portion of a wick, a strip guiding device secured to said wick holder and positioned over said opening, and a cutter blade carried by said cap and pivotally mounted to reciprocate across the path of a strip moved throughsaid guiding device.

6. A. guinmed strip moistener, comprising a hollow body portion forming a reservoir and handle, a tubular wick holder extending from one end of the body portion and having an opening to expose a portion of the wick, a strip guiding device and a presser shoe positioned to engage a strip respectively upon opposite sides of said opening, a spring actuated lever pivoted to said wick holder and carrying said guiding device and said shoe adjacent its outer end, a ledge extending from said holder laterally of said opening and normally cooperating with said shoe to yieldingly clamp a strip, a cutter blade pivoted to said holder and coacting with a portion of said ledge to sever a strip being guided across said opening.

7 A portable strip moistener comprising a hollow body portion forming a liquid reservoir and handle approximately horizontal when in use, a tubular nozzle leading endwise from the reservoir forming a conduit, and having a discharge opening on its upper side near its end, guides at opposite sides of said opening, for directing a strip transversely to said nozzle across said opening, and means for pressing down the strip to receive moisture from said opening.

8. A portable strip moistener comprising a hollow body portion forming a liquid reservoir and handle, being approximately horizontal when in use, a tubular nozzle leading endwise from the reservoir forming a conduit, and having a discharge openingon its upper side near its end, a wick extendin through said conduit and exposed at said opening, means for directing a strip transversely to said nozzle across said opening in contact with said wick, and guide means for holding down the strip to receive moisture from the wick in said opening.

9. A strip moistener comprising a hollow body portion forming a liquid reservoir and handle, a tubular nozzle leading from the reservoir forming a conduit, and having a discharge opening, means for directing a strip transversely to said nozzle across said opening, and guiding means for holding down the strip, with a spring-actuated lever on which the guiding means are mounted, whereby such means may be lifted to introduce a strip.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

RALPH I. MEADER. 

